Indonesia ferry fire kills 3, more than 500 rescued
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Passengers jumped overboard with life jackets after a fire broke out on July 20 at the stern of the KM Barcelona 5 as it sailed to Manado.
PHOTO: FACEBOOK/ABDUL RAHMAN AGU
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JAKARTA – Three people died and more than 500 others were rescued after a ferry caught fire off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, emergency officials said on July 21.
Passengers jumped overboard with life jackets after the fire broke out on July 20 at the stern of the KM Barcelona 5 as it sailed to Manado, according to the Indonesian Coast Guard.
A video released by Manado’s rescue agency showed a coast guard vessel spraying water on the ferry, which was emitting black smoke.
The Indonesian authorities previously reported that five people died in the accident, but later revised the death toll to three.
“Until now, the joint rescue team is still conducting the search-and-rescue operation because the data is still developing,” Manado rescue agency head George Leo Mercy Randang said. “Our post is still open 24 hours a day, in case families want to report about their missing relative.”
At least 568 people were rescued from the ferry and water while three others were found dead, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement on July 21.
The ferry’s log had only registered 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board.
Local media reported that the ship had a capacity for 600 people.
The incident happened just weeks after at least 19 people were killed when a ferry sank off the popular resort island of Bali
In the latest incident, fishermen helped evacuate the victims to nearby islands. Those injured were taken to the nearest health facility.
The accident happened about an hour away from the resort town of Likupang, in the northern tip of Sulawesi, said Mr Randang.
“What is important is that we are prioritising rescue before nightfall,” Mr Randang told AFP news agency, without confirming the total number of people who were on board the ferry.
Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in the South-east Asian archipelago of around 17,000 islands, in part due to lax safety standards or bad weather.
The ferry sinking en route to Bali earlier in July was attributed to bad weather. In March, a boat carrying 16 people capsized in rough waters off Bali,
In 2018, more than 150 people drowned when a ferry sank in one of the world’s deepest lakes on Sumatra island. AFP
